With the cost of shipping increasing every year like clockwork, you’re probably looking for ways to get a little thrifty. Here are my five tips to keep your shipping costs low:
1. Up with the Envelope! Down with the Box! Obviously there are instances when this simply won’t work. If you’re shipping large or fragile goods, there’s just going to be no way around using a box. But if you sell small, fairly non-breakable items, you will save a ton shipping in an envelope instead of a box.
Take one of my items. Let’s say this top weighs about 10 ounces.
by SmarmyClothes
If I wrap this item in a sheet of tissue paper, put it in one of my poly mailers (I get mine from threerb on Ebay), and toss in a few of my business cards, the final weight is 11 ounces. Light enough to ship inside the US via First Class.
Cost to ship Inside US (1st Class) – about $3.50 To Canada – $8.24 Everywhere Else – $13.41
If I put it in a small box, the final weight is 16 ounces. That’s too heavy for 1st Class in the US, so I have to go up to Priority.
Cost to ship Inside US (Priority) – $5.05 To Canada – $9.50 Everywhere Else – $15.08
My poly mailers weigh about 0.5 ounces. The box weighs over 4 ounces! And of course, the bigger the box, the more it weighs.
Most of my jewelry weighs less than an ounce- if I shipped it in a box, I’d be paying more to ship the box itself than the item in it! My jewelry is fragile, but not that fragile. Wrap your items well and they will survive just fine in an envelope. Bubble wrap is your friend! Continue reading…
Keeping up with my New Year’s Resolution to have at least one new sewing pattern in the shop each month, here’s the new pattern for January!
Fingerless Gloves! This is a super easy pattern- PERFECT as a beginner’s first project, or as a quickie project for a seasoned seamstress!
You can get this pattern AND my Cheeky Bikini Panties pattern for $15! That’s $3 off! There’s no coupon code necessary, just add both patterns to your cart and the discount will be applied when you checkout. Continue reading…
I thought I never had much use for a cup cozy- I like my hot drinks to scald my mouth AND my hands.
And then one frigid January day I was trying to enjoy an equally frigid smoothie, and I realized I was shivering from having to hold the freezing cold glass in my bare hands.
AHA!
So when Nizel of StitchCrafty4U offered to send me a sample for review, I went straight for the cozies.
protect thy hands!
Perfection! The cozies have 2 buttons with an elastic closure, so they’re sure to fit any size. I felt the heart print was excellently timed for Valentine’s Day, which is just around the corner!
The major bonus here? Her cozies come as a set with little handwarmers! I think Nizel understands the true calling of the cozy!
The handwarmers are pure genius. I have something similar that’s much bigger that I use when my neck and shoulders get sore from my perpetual slouching, but these little guys are the perfect size for pockets!
Everything came wrapped in a cute little bag, perfect for gifting!
Speaking of gifts and Valentine’s Day, her cozy sets are on sale right now for only $8 ($3 off ). Go check out the StitchCrafty4U shop!
It’s January, which is starting to become synonymous with postage increases. If you use USPS to ship, you’ll want to pay close attention.
Prices are going up January 27th, and the increases are not small particularly for international rates. So make sure you get the shipping prices for your shop updated before January 27th!
Here’s just a taste, with prices for Priority international: Current Priority flat rate envelope price to Canada is $12.95 January 27th, the new rate will be $19.95
Current Priority flat rate envelope price to other countries is $16.95 January 27th, the new rate will be $23.95 First class international rates are also going up. Right now a 1-2 oz package costs about $3-4 New rates for a 1-2 oz package will be over $6
Note that the following rates are rounded up/down and are for Commercial Base Pricing. If you buy your postage at the post office, you pay Retail pricing and will pay MORE.
3-4 oz packages will be approx $7-9 5-8 oz packages will be approx $8-11 12 oz packages will be approx $8-13 1 lb packages will be approx $9.50-15
I highly recommend an at-home postage printing service like Endicia. The cost of the annual fee and a postal scale will more than make up for the time and cost of driving to the post office every week/day/etc. Plus, as I mentioned above, you get the commercial base price discount on postal rates AND free delivery confirmation.
Also, please read this article, which explains how the post office got into such a dire financial situation and how easily Congress could fix it.
And then please sign this petition: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/urge-congress-repeal-postal-accountability-and-enhancement-act-2006/nykngcHv
This tutorial will show you how to sew stretch and knit fabrics with a regular sewing machine.
People often make the mistake of thinking they can’t work with knits if they don’t have an overlock machine, but knit fabrics existed a long time before sergers were commonly available as home machines, so don’t be afraid to try it out. With a little practice, it’s no harder than sewing with woven fabrics.
It’s the time of year when everyone takes a look back at the past year and asks themselves, “What can I do better?”
And while it’s natural (and good) to make your business goals part of that, it’s equally important to make sure the goals are reasonable. Setting unreasonable goals for yourself is a recipe for failure and disappointment.
A good goal should be:
reasonable
attainable (and by that, I mean it’s something in your control)
proactive
Felt home decor flower by IngerMaaike
A common goal I see for handmade business owners is setting a milestone with sales. And while the milestone itself may not be unreasonable, I don’t like this kind of goal because there are too many variables that determine sales. And a lot of them are out of our control. Continue reading…
I don’t know about you, but for me, 2012 was pretty rad. Here’s to making 2013 even better!
I think we all know what time it is. Resolution time!
For WhatTheCraft, my resolutions are to make MORE patterns and MORE tutorials! My specific goal is to have at least a new one of each per month.
For myself, my resolution is to get a garden going. My last attempt didn’t fair so well, mostly because what had been a sunny spot in our yard had been converted to mostly shade. Not good for veggies.
Lucky for me, we moved! I now have lots of sun and lots of grass (ugh). I’m really excited to try Winter Sowing for the first time. As soon as it gets really cold here in Michigan, I get ants in my pants for spring and gardens and flowers. Seriously, just thinking about it now, I almost get an anxiety attack- but in a good way. I used to think I just had to wait, but now it seems I can start getting my hands dirty in January!
All my failed attempts at getting a good garden started are okay, though. Every time something doesn’t work, you hopefully learn something about what NOT to do. So my What NOT To Do list for my vegetable garden this year is:
1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Even when I try to hold back, I wind up buying 50 different kinds of seeds. Too many, especially for a newb. Pick a few and add few more every year once you’ve got the routine down.
2. Don’t skimp on the garden bed prep. This time I’m going to try a variation of the “Instant Bed” method: I’m going to cover the grass with cardboard, add some compost and topsoil on top of the cardboard, and then mulch on top of that. I’ll be using raised beds made from cinderblocks for the veggies, unraised for flowers.
3. Don’t skimp on the mulch. The benefits of not having to weed or water or fertilize as much is worth the potential extra cost of buying ENOUGH mulch. Trying to spread a small amount too thin is pointless. I’d be better off not mulching at all if I’m going to do it wrong.
And lastly, the Extreme Unicorns are going to release one new song/video a week in 2013. Here’s the first one to get us started!
Howdy, I'm Lex! I'm a craft addict & an independent fashion designer, and I make crazy, kawaii, punk clothing. This is where I share my tricks of the trade. DIY tutorials, tips, supply sources and more!
